


Good Morning, Night Vale (Part I)

by Joanne_Lupin



Series: HS!AU Welcome to Night Vale drabbles~ [1]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cecil and Dana frienship, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, jealous!Cecil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 21:12:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joanne_Lupin/pseuds/Joanne_Lupin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cecil and Dana spot a new face in the halls, and they're both immediately smitten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Morning, Night Vale (Part I)

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a series of probably-unrelated HS!AU drabbles, so PLEASE don't expect this to turn into a chapterfic. 
> 
> I imagine that everyone here except maybe Pam is a sophomore.

“Good morning, Night Vale high school. I’m Cecil Baldwin, coming to you from the AV room in the 200’s hall to bring you the morning announcements.”

From behind the table where Ms. Josie, the English teacher, and Pam Winchell, the president of the student council, sat, Dana gave Cecil a thumbs-up. Cecil smiled, wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, and continued. 

“Today during lunch, the Forensics Team will hold a meeting for all perspective and returning members. If you are interested in participating, please meet in room 214- that’s Ms. Josie’s room- during lunch today. 

“Spirit wear is currently being sold in the office. T-shirts are five dollars off this week only. Head down to the office to show your school spirit!

“Finally, the lost and found is reporting a missing iPhone. The iPhone is white, and the lock screen background depicts what seems to be a small Corgi puppy. Anyone missing such an item should report to the lost and found, room 122.

“That’s it for the announcements. Have a great day, Night Vale High!”

Cecil flipped off the microphone that hadn’t been on in the first place and smiled shyly.

“Good job, Cecil! The results will be posted on the AV Club bulletin board this afternoon, as I’m sure you’re aware,” said Ms. Josie.

Pam just nodded detachedly. She was texting.

Cecil bowed out of the room, Dana following closely behind. “Damn, Cecil! I know your voice got hot last summer, but… _damn!_ ”

“It’s not like you haven’t heard me talk before,” Cecil muttered, but he ducked his head at the praise.”

“No, dude, I’m serious, if you weren’t gay, I’d-”

“We can finish that sentence right there, thank you,” Cecil interrupted hurriedly. Dana laughed.

Cecil walked down the hall the way he always did, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his shoulders up defensively, and his face down. This posture meant that he couldn’t see much above people’s knees, which is why Dana saw him first.

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, Cecil, look at the new kid oh my _god!_ ” Dana whispered, jabbing her friend painfully in the ribs. 

“What is it? Who?”

“The guy over there, look!”

Cecil looked. And there, right in front of him, was the most perfect human being he had ever laid eyes on. 

The new student had dark skin and eyes. He looked like he might be Hispanic. He was shorter than Cecil, and brawnier. And his hair. Oh, dear, sweet, beautiful six-pound-eight-ounce little newborn baby Jesus, his _hair_. His hair was like a fireworks display of beautiful, dark curls. Cecil felt he could pen long, graceful poems about that hair that would only begin to scratch the surface of its perfection. Like, everything else about this student’s appearance was perfect, but _especially_ the hair.

“He’s perfect,” Cecil moaned quietly, pushing up his glasses.

“He is,” Dana agreed. “Too bad he’s straight!”

“What? No way! I can smell the gay on him from over here! He’s so gay!”

“Cecil, are you kidding? I knew you were gay before you did!”

Cecil huffed in annoyance. “Yeah, but I got standard-issue gaydar once I came out. It’s a fact.”

“Gaydar that they implant into your nose?” Dana asked skeptically.

“Of course.”

“Think whatever you want, Ceec, but he’s totally straight.”

“Maybe _you_ think so, but I’m telling you, that guy is totally-”

“Uh, hi?” a voice like caramel interrupted.

It was the new guy. Shit. Cecil cowered behind Dana- not very successfully, though, as Dana was a good foot shorter than him. 

“Hey,” Dana said cheerfully. “What’s up?”

“I’m a new student here; my name’s Carlos. Carlos Ruiz.” He held out his hand, and Dana shook it. 

“Nice to meet you, Carlos! I’m Dana Miller.”

“I was, um, hoping I could speak to your friend, actually,” Carlos said. Cecil squeaked. “Someone said I have next period with him. Chemistry with Mr. McDaniels?”

“Yep, that’s what he has next. Tell ‘im, Ceec!”

“Yeah, I do. Uhhh, hi…” Cecil’s hand fluttered up in an attempt at a wave. Carlos laughed. The noise made butterflies flutter in Cecil’s stomach. 

“Could you, uh, maybe show me where that is?”

“Oh, um, yeah, sure, I guess. I’ll just, uh…” He stepped out from behind Dana, who winked at him as he walked away, Carlos following behind. After a few steps, he spoke, but avoided looking at Carlos. “I’m Cecil, by the way. Cecil Baldwin… is… my name… So yeah…”

“Nice to meet you, Cecil!” He could hear the smile in Carlos’ voice. “Thanks so much for helping me out, by the way. I love science- I’m really excited!”

“Oh. That’s good, I guess. Mr. McDaniels is pretty cool. He has a tattoo of a dragon on his face. Some people think it’s a gang tattoo, but I don’t think he was in a gang, or anything. Although I guess he could be making meth, kinda like on ‘Breaking Bad,’ and be in, like, a meth gang. I dunno. I don’t really know a lot about gangs. NOT that I expect you to know about them, or anything. Like, for any reason at all. I was just saying, I mean, some people think he was in a gang. Mr. McDaniels. I mean, no one really knows for sure, it’s just that, like, teachers don’t usually have cool dragon face tattoos. I just-” That was when Cecil realized two things: 1) they’d reached the Chem room five clauses ago, and 2) he was now standing just outside the Chem door, blabbering to a near stranger. He coughed nervously. “Er, sorry.”

Carlos laughed again. Damn him and his perfect laugh and perfect hair and perfect being. “That’s all right. Do you think I could eat lunch with you and your friend today? I don’t really have anyone else to sit with…”

“Yeah, sure!” Cecil squeaked. He stepped aside so Carlos could enter the classroom.

“Thanks!” he said, walking up to the teacher’s desk. 

Cecil took a seat next to his lab partner, Sven, who was weirdly obsessed with Native American stuff. He went to grab his- _oh, shit_. He’d forgotten his stuff in his locker. The bell rang. 

“Hey, Sven, can I copy your notes later?”

“Sure you can, my brother of the earth-mother.”

Cecil stifled a grimace. That guy didn’t even know what the hell he was talking about. But he couldn’t complain. Sven was an okay lab partner. 

“Okay, guys! Let’s go over the procedure! Steve, make sure Carlos gets caught up, okay?”

Oh. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Steve was Carlos’ lab partner. Steve _couldn’t be_ Carlos’ lab partner. Steve was the absolute douchiest guy in the entire school. _No, no, no, no, no!_

“Okay, let’s get started!”

Sven volunteered to go get the goggles, leaving Cecil to stew in his own misery. Carlos caught his eye and gave him a friendly, excited smile. Cecil hoped he smiled back. When Sven returned, he dutifully helped him set up the experiment. When they’d gotten to a point where they had to wait for a moment until they could do the next step, he snuck a peek at Carlos. The perfect, perfect Carlos was totally engrossed in his project. He was a little behind, since the vile Steve Carlsberg never put any effort into group projects. But he was working intently, measuring every ingredient carefully and scribbling quick, practiced notes. When he’d caught up, he hunched over his table impatiently, as though waiting for Christmas presents to erupt from the stopwatch he was staring at.

The next time Cecil looked over, he could see Carlos gesturing excitedly to Steve, who, of course, didn’t respond. Carlos giddily examined the contents of his evaporating dish, occasionally scribbling notes. Cecil looked away before Carlos could notice him staring.

It was official, Cecil decided. That bastard was completely, entirely, 100% perfect.

-o0o-

When class was over, Cecil scurried up to talk to Carlos. “So, uh, did you enjoy the class?”

“Yeah! I loved that lab!”

“Me, too…” Cecil lied. He couldn’t really even remember what the lab was about. “So, uh, want me to show you where me and Dana usually sit? Or, uh Dana and me. Dana and I. Oh, god, excuse my grammar.”

Carlos laughed. But then he frowned regretfully. “I, uh, actually think I’ll sit with Steve Carlsberg. I mean, you know how it is. He’s on the football team, and everything…”

“Oh, yeah, that’s… that’s fine.” _Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!_

“I’m really sorry. You’re awesome, man. Thank you!”

Cecil only stifled a squeak because _Carlos had called him awesome._

“Well, see ya!”

“Bye!” Cecil called, long after Carlos was out of earshot.

-o0o-

At lunch, Cecil chronicled the events that had occurred in the last period to Dana.

“And now he’s eating with that jerk, Steve Carlsberg!” Cecil moaned, picking at his food with little appetite.

“Aw, man! This sucks!”

Cecil didn’t listen. He stared straight at Steve Carlsberg and stabbed his lasagna with his fork. “Stupid Steve Carlsberg. No one even likes you, you stupid douche. You’re so stupid you failed Choir. You stupid asshole. God, you suck.”

“Wow, Ceec, intense much?”

“Vile, vile Steve Carlsberg. Your face should be put in a blender. Then we’ll see how many people like you…”

Dana rolled her eyes. “Remind me never to get on your bad side…”

-o0o-

Cecil was in a terrible mood, even after receiving the news that he was picked to be the voice of the Night Vale High School morning announcements. Not that anyone except Dana really noticed. The only real difference between Angry Cecil and Regular Cecil was that Angry Cecil stared more intensely at the floor. 

The mood continued until the end of the day, when Cecil found a note stuffed into his locker that read:

“Cecil,  
Thanks for being so cool about the lunch thing. Steve and his friends turned out to be really boring. I should’ve sat with you and Dana. :P  
Carlos.  
P.S. My cell number’s on the back, if you wanna text me.”

He checked. There it was, a perfectly arranged sequence of numbers.

Cecil practically floated to the bus.


End file.
